:

General Denominations of the Collection of facred Books, received by Christians.

I. Scripture. II. Bible. III. Canon. IV. Old and New Testament. V. Instrument. VI. Digest. VII. Gospel.

I. ****NE of the general denominations of facred books

Ois Scripture, or Scriptures, literally, and primarily Scripture. **** fignifying writing. But by way of eminence and diftinction the books in the highest esteem are called Scripture, or the Scrip

tures.

This word occurs often in the New Testament, in the Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistles. Whereby we perceive, that in the time of our Saviour and his Apostles this word was in common use, denoting the books received by the Jewish People, as the rule of their faith. To them have been fince added by Christians the writings of Apostles and Evangelifts, compleating the collection of books, received by them as facred and divine.

Some of the places, where the word Scripture is used in the fingular number for the books of the Old Testament, are these. 2 Tim. iii. 16. All fcripture is given by the inspiration of God. And Luke iv. 21. John

ii. 22.

Acts i. 16. viii. 32. 35. Rom. iv. 3. Gal. iii. 8. James ii. 18.23. 1 Pet. ii. 6. 2 Pet. i. 20. Scriptures, in the plural number, in these following, and many other places. Matth. xxi. 42. xxii. 29. xxvi. 54. Luke xxiv. 27. 32.45. John v. 39. Acts xvii. 2. 11. xviii. 24. 28.

2 Tim. iii. 15. 2 Pet. iii. 16.

VOL. II.

A

St. Peter

St. Peter applies this word to the books of the New, as well as of the Old Testament, to St. Paul's Epistles, in particular. 2 Pet. iii. 16... as alfo in all his epistles .. which they that are unlearned, wrest, as they do alfo the other fcriptures, unto their own destruction. Plainly denoting, that * St. Paul's Epistles are Scriptures in the highest sense of the word.

Bible.

II. Bible is another word, which has now been long in use among Chriftians, denoting the whole collection of writings received by them, as of divine Authority.

The word, primarily, denotes book. But now is given to the writings of Prophets and Apostles by way of eminence. This collection is the Book, or Bible, the book of books, as fuperior in excellence to all other books. The word seems to be used in this sense by Chryfoftom in a paffage already (a) cited. "I therefore exhort all of you to procure to your"selves Bibles, βιβλία. If you have nothing else, take care to have the "New Testament, particularly, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Gof"pels, for your conftant inftructors." And Jerome says, "That (6) the " Scriptures being all writ by one Spirit, are called one book." We likelike faw formerly a paffage of Augustin, where he informs us, "That (c) " some called all the canonical scriptures one book, on account of their " wonderful harmonie, and unity of design throughout." And I then faid: "It is likely, that this way of speaking gradually brought in the general use of the word Bible, for the whole collection of the scriptures, or the books of the Old and New Testament."

In short, the ancient Christians were continually speaking of the Divine Oracles, and the Divine Books, and were much employed in reading them, as Chryfoftom directs in a passage, transcribed (d) below: where he recommends the reading the divine books daily, forenoon and afternoon. At length the whole collection was called the book, or the bible.

Dr. Heumann has an Epistle, or short Differtation (8) concerning the origin of this name of our facred collection of books. And for fome while he was of opinion, that (f) it was so called, as being the most excellent of all books: in like manner as the Jews had before called their collection the Scriptures, by way of eminence. So Acts xviii. 24. and 28. But (g) afterwards he suspected, that the origin of this name was in

thofe

* Hac parte (quod bene notandum est) Petrus canonizat, ut ita loquar, id eft, in canonem facrarum scripturarum afcribit, atque canonicas facit epiftolas Pauli. Dicens enim, ficut & ceteras fcripturas, utique fignificat, se etiam illas in fcripturarum numero habere. De facris autem scripturis eum loqui, in confeffo est. Est. in loc.

(a) Vol. X. p 349

(b) The fame. p. 158.

(c) The same. p. 256. (d) Αλλὰ δεῖ πάλα καιρὸν ἐπιλήδειον ἡγεῖσθαι πρὸς τὴν τῶν πνευμαλικῶν λόγων διαλέξιν... Δυνησόμεθα κὴ ἐπὶ οἰκίας διατρίβοντες, κὶ μετὰ τὴν ἐσιάσιν, κὶ πρὸ τῆς ἐσιάσεως μετὰ χεῖρας λάβοντες τὰ θεῖα βιβλία τὴν ἐξ ἀυθῶν καρπῦσθαι ὠφέλειαν. In i. Gen. hom. x. T. 4. p. 81. C. Bened.

....

(e) De origine nominis Bibliorum. Heum. Poecile. Tom. i. p. 412...415. (f). Sufpicari deinde cœpi, ideo Biblia dictum esse sacrum codicem, quod tanquam liber omnium præftantiffimus καλ' ἐξοχήν dictus fit τὰ βιβλία. Suppetias conjecturæ huic ferre videbatur illa appellatio, qua idem divinum opus vocari folet αἱ γραφαί. e. gr. Act, xviii. 24. 28. Id. ib. p. 413.

(g) Ib. p. 414.

those words of Paul, 2 Tim. iv. 13. The cloak that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comeft, bring with thee, and the books, κὶ τὰ βιβλία. For he believed, that thereby the ancient Christians understood the sacred code. But he afterwards acknowledgeth, that he had not found any instance of that interpretation in ancient writers. It seems to me therefore, that this conjecture should be dropt, as deftitute of foundation: and that it should be better for us to adhere to the forementioned origin of this name, which appears to have in it a good deal of probability.

Canon.

III. Canon is originally a Greek word, signifying a rule or standard, by which other things are to be examined and judged. As the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and Evangelifts contain an authentic account of the revealed will of God, they are the rule of the belief and practice of those who receive them.

Sometimes canon seems equivalent to a lift or catalogue, in which are inferted those books, which contain the rule of faith.

Du Pin says, "This (b) word signifies not only a law or rule, but " likewife a table, catalogue, list. Some have supposed, that the cano"nical books were so called, because they are the rule of the faith. But "though it be true, that they are the rule of our faith; yet the reason of "their being called canonical, is, because they are placed in the cata"logue of facred books."

Perhaps, there is no need to dispute about this. For there is no great difference in those two senses. And there may be passages of ancient writers, where it would be difficult to determine, which of them is intended.

St. Paul has twice used the word canon, or rule. Gal. vi. 16. As many as walk according to this rule. Upon which verse Theodoret's comment is to this purpose: "He (i) calls the forementioned doctrine a rule, " as being ftrait, and having nothing wanting, nor fuperfluous." Again, says St. Paul, Philip. iii. 16. Whereunto we have already attained, let us walk according to the same rule. Where he speaks of the doctrine of the gospel in general, or of fome particular maxim of it: not of any books, containing the rule of faith. However, his use of the word may have been an occafion of affixing that denomination to the books of fcripture. For it is of great antiquity among Christians.

Iræneus, speaking of the scriptures, as the words of God, calls (k) them the rule, or canon of truth. Here canon is not a catalogue, but the books, or the doctrine contained in the books of fcripture.

Clement of Alexandria, referring to a quotation of the Gospel according

...

to

(6) Le mot fignifie non seulement une loi, une regle, mais aussi une table, un catalogue, une lifte. Quelques-uns ont cru, que les livres canoniques étoient ainsi appellez, parcequ'ils font la regle de la foi. Mais quoique cela soit vrai, ce n'est pas ce qui leur a fait donner le nom de canoniques, qu'ils n'ont que parceque l'on a nommé canon le catalogue des livres facrez. Diff. Prelim. l. 1. ch. 1. §. ii.

(1) Κανόνα ἐκάλεσε τὴν προκειμένην διδασκαλίαν, ὡς εὐθύτηλι κοσμημένην, κῇ μήτε ἐλλεῖπων τὶ μήτε περιτὸν ἔχωσαν. Theod. in loc.

(k) Nos autem unum et solum verum Deum doctorem fequentes, et regulam veritatis habentes ejus fermones, de iifdem semper eadem dicimus omnes. Iran. 1. 4. c. 35. al. 69. f. p. 277.

to the Egyptians, says with indignation: "But (1) they who choose to " follow any thing, rather than the true Evangelical Canon, [or the ca" non of the Gospel,] infist upon what follows there as faid to Salome." In another place he says: "The (m) ecclesiastical canon is the consent " and agreement of the Law and the Prophets with the teftament deli"livered by the Lord."

Eufebe, as (n) formerly quoted, says of Origen: "But in the first book " of his Commentaries upon the Gospel of Matthew, observing (0) the " ecclefiaftical canon, he declares, that he knew of four Gospels only."

I shall add a few more passages from later writers, chiefly fuch as have been already quoted in the foregoing volumes: to which passages therefore the reader may eafily have recourse.

Athanafius (p) in his Festal Epiftles speaks of three forts of books, the canonical, the fame, which are now received by us, such as were allowed to be read, and then of fuch as are apocryphal: by which he means books forged by heretics.

In the Synopsis of Scripture, ascribed to him, but probably not writ till above a hundred years after his time, near the end of the fifth centurie, is frequent mention (q) of canonical and uncanonical books.

The council of Laodicea, about 363, ordains, that (q) " no books, not "canonical, should be read in the church, but only the canonical books " of the Old and New Testament."

Rufin, enumerating the scriptures of the Old and New Testament, makes (r) three forts of books, such (s) as are included in the canon, fuch as are not canonical, but ecclefiaftical, allowed to be read, but not to be alleged for proof of any doctrine, and lastly, apocryphal books, which were not to be publicly read.

Jerome likewise often speaks of the canon of Scripture, as we saw in his chapter, where he says: "Ecclefiafticus, (t) Judith, Tobit, and the "Shepherd, are not in the canon:" and "that (u) the Church reads, or " allows to be read, Judith, Tobit, and the Maccabees, but does not re"ceive them among the canonical scriptures: and that they, and the " books of Wisdom and Ecclefiafticus, may be read for the edification of "the people, but not as of authority, for proving any doctrines." And for the Old Testament he recommends (x) the true Jewish canon, or

(i) See Vol. ii. p. 529. or 527.

Hebrew

(m) Κανὼν δὲ ἐκκλησιαςικὸς ἡ συνωδία κὶ ἡ συμφωνία νόμω τε κὶ προφητῶν τῆ καλὰ τὴν τῷ κυρίε παξυσίαν παραδιδομένη διαθήκη. Cl. Strom. l. 6. p. 676. С.

(n) Ch. 38. vol. iii. p. 235.

τὸν ἐκκλησιασικὸν φυλώτλων κανόνα. Αp. Eufeb. 1. 6. c. 25. p. 226. В.

(p) See vol. viii. p. 228. 229.

(q) The jame. p. 291.

(9) The fame. p. 243...245.

(r) See vol. x. p. 187. 188.

..

(5) Hæc funt, quæ patres intra canonem concluferunt, & ex quibus fidei noftræ affertiones conftare voluerunt.... Sciendum tamen eft, quod alii libri funt, qui non funt canonici, fed ecclesiastici a majoribus appellati funt. Quæ omnia legi quidem in ecclefiis voluerunt, non tamen proferri ad auctoritatem ex his fidei confirmandam. Ceteras vero scripturas apocryphas no. minarunt, quas in ecclefiis legi noluerunt. Rufin. citat. ubi fupra p. 185.

not. (gì.

(t) Vol. x. p. 41.

(4)....43.

(x)...52.